Blessed are the Meddlers (Sydney Alexander Series, Book 2)

Interfering with the love lives of others rarely ends well, as Sydney, a freelance writer, learns in Blessed Are the Meddlers: Confessions of a Serial Matchmaker. Having recently married the love of her life, Sydney has decided that none of her friends should be single and promptly takes it upon herself to help them with their dating games. However, she isn’t prepared for the consequences when her dating advice falls through. Suddenly, her sister, her readers, her editor, and her friend are suffering heartbreak, and they’re blaming her.

This book might be hard to follow for some readers. Each of the chapters is divided into sections of varying lengths, and the sections switch points of view. In most of them, Sydney narrates her story, but in the rest, the story focuses on other characters while being told in third person. Sydney’s relationship with her sister is believable, but her relationships with others, especially her husband, seem rather shallow. The thing I will remember most about this book is how God seems to be an afterthought, as His name appears only periodically throughout. I would have liked to have seen the author focus more on solid, godly relationships, rather than compatibility and whether or not the other person remains faithful. It could have been beneficial to center the novel around 1 Corinthians 13:4-7, which says, “Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices in the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.” (NIV) This passage exemplifies what is real love looks like in relationships, and little of its message can be found in this read.

Sydney Alexander Williams is a freelance writer who has recently married a music writer. She seems shallow and superficial, and she takes every opportunity to point out nonessential facts, such as what brand and shade of lipstick she is wearing. She and nearly everyone else in the book go out for coffee, food, and whatever else way more often than is believable. Nevertheless, her heart is in the right place. She simply takes a few too many liberties with other people’s love lives and gives a few misplaced pieces of advice.

Overall, this book was only moderately enjoyable for me. If women out there are looking for a feel-good book with no vulgarities or anything else inappropriate, they might like this story. However, I would not recommend it to someone looking for a book of advice about integrating God with dating. -- Becky Blomenberg, www.ChristianBookPreviews.com

Book Jacket:

Sydney Alexander has found the man of her dreams and has permanently retired her serial-dating status. But soon Sydney finds her well-intentioned meddling causing cupid chaos with friends and family. She’s even on the verge of losing her dream job as her boss suffers the fallout of a failed love connection.

Can Sydney help her friends pick up the romantic pieces while getting her career back on track?